September 24, 1877 – John Frances Rague – designer of Iowa’s Old Stone Capitol – dies in Dubuque.
Thanks to John F. Rague – a very-talented man from Springfield, Illinois – and a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln – Iowa City has Old Capitol – a building just about any person in the world would recognize today. This iconic structure, opening in 1841, has become the centerpiece of Iowa history – even being used as the official logo for the University of Iowa and the building most representative of Iowa’s rich heritage.
Known as a successful architect from Springfield, the Iowa Territorial commission contacted Rague, age 40, in 1839, inviting him to design a building similar in style to his successful state capitol project in Springfield, Illinois. As you can see from the pictures above, the similarities between the two buildings are striking, with the only major differences being that of the building’s depth and dome size.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 93
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE
Did you know? is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily.
Join us for Our Iowa Heritage blog posts.
Learn some historical facts about Iowa City, Johnson County, or Eastern Iowa.
Amaze your friends.
Pingback: September 23, 1972. | Our Iowa Heritage